Liquefied gas dispensing system



Sept. 10, 1940. L J-, WHITE LIQUEFIED GAS DISPENSING SYSTEM Filed June20, 1939 1 mvhm Patented Sept. 10, 1940 PATENT OFFICE LIQUEFIED GASDISPENSING SYSTEM Loyd J. White, San Antonio, Tex., assignor to SouthernSteel Company,- San Antonio, Tex., a

corporation of Texas Application June 20, 1939, Serial No. 280,210

8 Claims.

This invention relates to'liquefied gas dispensing systems of thegeneral type disclosed in U. S.

Patents 2,121,673 and 2,121,675 and, among other objects, aims toprovide in an underground storage and dispensing system, an improved andcompact combination or unitary filling and gas dis pensing fittingcarrying a pressure filling valve, a pressure relief valve, a liquidlevel gauge, a cutoff valve and a back-flow check valve. The main ideais to provide a greatly simplified and compact fitting of this typeadapted to be manufactured at a relatively low cost and which is easy toassemble on the standpipe of a system. A further aim is to provide ahollow fitting of this type having a gas chamber arranged centrallybetween a pair of vertical conduits which carry the filling and thepressure relief valves, respectively.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in thespecification, when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the preferred form offitting applied to a gas dispensing system;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the fitting shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the liquefied gas dispensingsystem, there shown, is of the same general type as that disclosed inPatent 2,121,675. However, it is designed to be filled by a pump or withliquefied gas under higher pressure than that in the tank instead of bygravity, as explained in said patent. The system embodies an undergroundtank In having the usual standpipe or riser pipe I I to which thefilling and dispensing fitting is connected and through which the tankis filled and the gas is dispensed therefrom. In this instance, thestandpipe is made much smaller than the standpipe in the patent becausethe dip-pipe is eliminated, as well as the necessary vapor return valveon the fitting.

The fitting here shown comprises a hollow body I2 which is generallyT-shaped, having a lower branch I3 adapted to be connected to the upperscrew threaded end of the standpipe II. It is preferably made of a coredcasting and has two vertical conduits or branches I4 and I5 on oppositesides of the axis of the standpipe. The branch I4 carries a pressurefilling valve I6 and a hose fitting I! together with a back-flow checkvalve I8 all of which are substantially identical with the filling.valve shown in said patent. The branch conduit I5 carries a safetyrelief valve I9, also like that shown in said patent. Both of thesebranches communicate with a filling chamber 20 extending across thelower branch. A substantially horizontal partition 2| above chamber 20provides an upper vapor chamber 22, the body having a top wall 23substantially flush with the upper ends of the'two conduits I4 and I5.The partition 2| is shown as having a central opening 24 directly abovethe lower branch I3 and the stand-pipe through which the tube 25 of an.ordinary slip-tube gauge 26 removably secured in the upper wall 23-projects and passes downwardly into the tank. This opening is largerthan the tube to permit vapor to pass into the chamber 22. At the pointwhere liquefied gas enters the lower branch I3 from the filling branchI4, there is shown a downwardly projecting lip 26 which acts as anantisplash bafile to prevent liquid gas from splashing upwardly throughthe annular space around the slip-tube into the chamber 22. The fittingis shown as having a laterally extending branch 21 having a gas outletor dispensing conduit 28 controlled by a manual cut-01f" valve 29 whichis easily accessible at one side of the fitting. From the conduit 28,the gas passes downwardly through a conduit 30 and a nipple extension 3|carrying an excess fiow check valve 32 which is shown as being of thespring-urged slug type. The usual pressure reducing regulator 33 isremovably connected to the nipple extension 3| by an ordinary unioncoupling 34 and the gas passes through the regulator to a service pipe35 extending laterally underground above the tank and below the frostline.

The fitting and the pressure reducing regulator, as well as thestandpipe, are shown as being housed within a protecting casing 36having a removable cover 31 above the ground level substantially asshown in said patent and Reissue Patent 20,624. Since the fitting isvery compact, the casing also can be made smaller than the casing shownin Patent 2,121,675.

To fill the tank, it is only necessary to connect a. single filling hoseto the hose fitting I1 and the liquefied gas is adapted to be pumpedthrough the fitting and standpipe into the tank. While this is going on,gas vapor will be generated in the filling chamber 2E] and will passupwardly through the opening 24 into the vapor chamber 22 even thoughthe liquefied gas may submerge the upper end of the standpipe. As thepressure increases in the tank, some of the gas contained within it willbe condensed, making room for more liquid to enter. However, some vaporwill always remain in the tank above the liquid level at reasonablefilling pressures, thus making it practically impossible to overfill thetank. An attendant can easily determine the quantity of gas in the tankor the amount required to fill it by manipulating the slip-tube gauge26, in the usual manner to find the liquid level. The operator thenraises the slip-tube gauge to a point where its lower end is at themaximum liquid level in the tank. Incidentally, the tube 25 is shown ashaving an annular stop member 38 intermediate its ends to strike thelower end of a combination screw plug and stufiing box 39 through whichthe upper end of the tube passes. This stop member determines themaximum height to which the slip-tube can be raised. When the liquidreaches the lower end of the tube in that position, the dis charge willchange from a vapor to afog and notify the operator that the tank isfull and the filling pump should be cut off.

' in Patent 2,121,675. Also, the provision of the filling and vaporchambers in the body enables the fitting to be applied to relativelysmall standpipes and, at the same time, insures that the va r chamberwill always be supplied with vapor while the filling operation is goingon.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particularembodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is notindispensible that all the features of the invention be used conjointly,since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations andsubcombinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a standpipe connected thereto, through which the tankis filled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprisinga hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapordispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a verticalvalved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; asecond vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicatingwith one of said chambers; an integral, valved dispensing branchextending laterally from and communicating with said vapor dispensingchamber; and a pressure reducing regulator connected to said dispensingbranch.

2. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a standpipe connected thereto, through which the tankis filled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprisinga hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapordispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a verticalvalved'filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; asecond vertical branch on the opposite side of said chambers from saidfilling branch carrying a pressure relief valve and also communicatingwith said receiving chamber; and a valved dispensing branch extendinglaterally from and communicating with said vapor chamber.

3. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a vertical branch connected to the upper end of thestandpipe; a receiving chamber extending across the vertical branch; twoupstanding branches connected to the receiving chamber; a pressurefilling valve in one upstanding branch; a pressure relief valve in theother upstanding branch; a partition in the body providing an uppervapor dispensing chamber and having a central opening through which gaspasses from the receiving chamber; and a valved gas dispensing branchconnected to said vapor chamber.

4. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank isfilled and the gas is dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprisinga hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapordispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a verticalvalved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; asecond vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicatingwith one of said chambers; a liquid level gauge removably connected tothe top of the body and having a portion projecting through the openingbetween said chambers and the standpipe into the tank; a valveddispensing branch connected to said vapor chamber; and a pressureregulator connected to said dispensing branch.

5. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank isfilled and the gas is dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprisinga hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapordispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a verticalvalved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; asecond vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicatingwith one of said chambers; a slip-tube gauge removably connected to thetop of the body and extending through said chambers and standpipe intothe tank; a stop member on the slip-tube to limit its upward movement sothat its lower end is at the maximum liquid level in the tank; and alateral valved dispensing branch integral with and connected to thevapor chamber.

6. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressurestorage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank isfilled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fittingremovably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising agenerally T-shaped hollow bodyhaving a single vertical branch connectedto the upper end of the standpipe; a receiving chamber extending acrossthe vertical branch; two upstanding branches connected to the receivingchamber; a pressure filling valve in one upstanding branch; a pres-.-sure relief valve in the other upstanding branch; a partition in thebody providing an upper vapor dispensing chamber and having a centralopening through which gas passes from the receiving chamber; a liquidlevel gauge removably mounted.

on the body between said upstanding branches and having a portionextending through the opening in said partition and the standpipe intothe tank; and a lateral valved dispensing branch connected'to said vaporchamber.

7. As an article of manufacture, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting i'or liquefied gas dispensing systems comprising, incombination, a unitary hollow body having a lower branch adapted to beconnected to a standpipe; a filling chamber and a gas dispensing chamberin the body both communicating with the lower branch; an integralpartition in the body separating said chambers and having acommunicating opening therein; a pair of upstanding branchescommunicating with the filling chamber, and carrying a filling valve anda pressure relief valve, respectively; an integral, valved dispensingbranch communicating with the vapor chamber; and a chamber.

liquid level gauge removably connected to the body between saidupstanding branches.

8. As an article of manufacture, a unitary filling and dispensingfitting for liquefied gas dispensing systems comprising, in combination,a

generally T-shaped hollow body having a lower providing an upper vaporchamber and having an opening above the lower branch; a slip-tube gaugesecured to the top of the body projecting through said opening; and alaterally extending, valved dispensing branch connected to said vaporLOYD J. WHITE.

